Brnd.me Becomes a Public Entity and Plans an IPO in 12-18 Months
Brnd.me is a company that used to be called Mensa Brands. It has taken a big first step toward selling its shares on the stock market. The company now has a clear plan. It wants to go public in the next 12 to 18 months.
To do this, it quietly changed its legal status to become a “public entity.” This is a rulebook step. A company must clear it before it can sell shares to everyday people.
Ananth Narayanan is the founder and CEO. He shared this news in June 2026. In simple words, the firm is getting ready so it can one day trade on the stock exchange.
What does “public entity” actually mean?
Here, a “public entity” means a public limited company. That is a company allowed to offer its shares to the general public. Until now, Brnd.me was a private limited company. In a private company, only a small group of owners and investors hold shares.
You can see the change in the name. The legal name moved from Mensa Brand Technologies Private Limited to Mensa Brand Technologies Limited. Dropping the word “Private” is not just for show. In India, it is the first official step a company takes before an IPO.
What is an IPO? IPO is short for Initial Public Offering. It is the first time a company sells its shares to the public. It lets ordinary people buy a small piece of the business. After an IPO, the shares trade on the stock market. Then the public can buy or sell them.
What is Brnd.me and what does it do?
People call Brnd.me a “house of brands” or a roll-up company. A roll-up buys many smaller online brands. Then it runs them together under one roof. The aim is to share money, technology and marketing. This helps each brand grow faster than it could alone.
Most of these are D2C brands. D2C means direct-to-consumer. These brands sell straight to shoppers online. They do not go through big shops or middlemen. Brnd.me sells health, wellness and lifestyle products. It sells in India and in other countries too.
Its group has several brands that earn real money each year:
- Majestic Pure (aroma and essential oils) — about ₹400 Cr
- Botanic Hearth (hair care) — about ₹300 Cr
- MyFitness (healthy snacks) — about ₹200 Cr
- PartyPropz (party decorations) — about ₹200 Cr
Other brands in the group include Dennis Lingo, Ishin, Bonkids, Trust Basket, Villain and Folkuture.
The money story: revenue, profit and losses
Money matters a lot before an IPO. Public investors want proof that the business can stand on its own. Here is where Brnd.me stands.
For the financial year 2026 (FY26), the company earned about ₹1,500 Cr in revenue. Revenue is the total money a business takes in from sales. That is roughly $180 million. Just as important, the company says it has started to make a profit.
Brnd.me reported a positive adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA is a way to measure profit. It looks at profit before counting taxes, interest, and the cost of wear and tear on equipment. A positive number means the main business is making money, not losing it. The company also said its cash flow turned positive. That means more cash is coming in than going out.
The story was not always this good. In FY25, the company had a loss of about $60.4 million (₹501 Cr). That loss was 39% bigger than the year before. So moving to a profit in FY26 is a real change in direction.
Key facts at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| New legal name | Mensa Brand Technologies Limited (was “Private Limited”) |
| IPO timeline | 12 to 18 months from June 2026 |
| FY26 revenue | ~₹1,500 Cr (~$180 Mn) |
| FY26 profit | Positive adjusted EBITDA and positive cash flow |
| FY25 loss | ~$60.4 Mn (₹501 Cr), up 39% year-on-year |
| Total funding raised | ~$295 Mn |
| Status | Unicorn (crossed $1 Bn value within 6 months of founding) |
| Founder and CEO | Ananth Narayanan |
How much has it raised, and from whom?
Brnd.me has raised about $295 million in total. (Raising money means getting cash from investors to grow the business.) It became a unicorn very fast. A unicorn is a private startup worth more than $1 billion. Brnd.me passed that mark within six months of starting. That is rare.
Its backers are well-known investors. They include Accel, Alpha Wave Global, Norwest Venture Partners, Tiger Global and Prosus Ventures. These are large funds. They put money into fast-growing companies. They hope to earn a return when the company grows or lists on the market.
Growing beyond India
Brnd.me is not only looking at the home market. It is testing two big regions abroad.
In Europe, the company is running an 18-month pilot. A pilot is a small trial run. It helps a company see what works before spending big. This trial is led mainly by Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure. In the United States, it is entering with Villain, a men’s fragrance brand.
The founder, Ananth Narayanan, spoke about the name change. He said the goal is a cleaner setup for growth. “Our transition to an Indian holding structure, followed by this conversion, gives us the structure to scale with greater focus, transparency and discipline,” he said, as reported by Inc42.
FAQ
What is an IPO in simple words?
An IPO is the first time a company sells its shares to the public. After it happens, anyone can buy and sell those shares on the stock market.
Why did Brnd.me drop the word “Private” from its name?
In India, a company must change from a private limited company to a public limited company before it can list on the stock market. Removing “Private” is that first legal step.
Is Brnd.me making a profit now?
The company says its FY26 adjusted EBITDA is positive. (That is its core profit before taxes, interest and asset wear.) Its cash flow is positive too. In FY25 it had a large loss. So this is a notable turnaround.
When will the Brnd.me IPO happen?
The company is aiming for a window of 12 to 18 months from June 2026. That is a plan, not a fixed date. It can change based on market conditions.
Why it matters (especially for India and founders)
This story is a useful lesson for Indian founders who watch the D2C space. For years, many house-of-brands companies grew fast. They spent a lot of money and posted losses. Brnd.me moved to a profit before talking about an IPO. This shows that public markets now want discipline, not just fast growth.
It also shows the value of getting your legal structure right. Moving to an Indian holding structure and becoming a public limited company are quiet steps. But they set the stage for a clean listing. For students and young business owners, it is a clear example. It shows how a startup grows up, step by step, into a public company.
If the IPO goes ahead, it would give Indian retail investors a chance to own a slice of a multi-brand D2C group. Retail investors are everyday people who buy shares. It would also be a test. Will Indian markets reward roll-up businesses that mix many brands under one company?
The takeaway
Brnd.me has moved from a private company to a public entity. It has set its sights on an IPO within 12 to 18 months. FY26 revenue is near ₹1,500 Cr. Its core profit is positive, and it has turned around from heavy losses. The company is trying to show it is ready for the public stage. The plan still depends on market conditions. But the direction is now clear.
Source: Inc42
